MANILA – The recent decision of the municipal trial court in La Trinidad, Benguet ordering former Police Regional Office-Cordillera chief General R’win Pagkalinawan to pay damages to Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA) chairperson only affirmed what rights groups have long been asserted – that it endangers lives and fosters a climate that enables further human rights violations.
This is the statement of Indigenous People’s group, Katribu, on the recent win of CPA chairperson Windel Bolinget.
In a report by the Northern Dispatch, Judge Mylene May Adube-Cabuag ruled in favor of Bolinget who filed a damages suit against Kapalong Police Chief Major Ruth Dizon who filed a case against him for the March 2018 killing that took place in Tagum, Davao del Norte. Also included in Bolinget’s suit were Ranel Tibog Vender and Pagkalinawan for his shoot to kill order against him.
However, the court only reportedly ruled only against Pagkalinawan, whom it declared in default, noting that he was the only defendant who had been validly served with summons.
Read: Red-tagged Cordillera leader faces murder rapsRead: Groups condemn police’s shoot-to-kill order against Igorot leader
According to the Northern Dispatch report, the court awarded Bolinget P30,000 in moral damages, P20,000 in exemplary damages, and P100,000 in attorney’s fees.
In her decision, Adobe-Cabuag said that Bolinget was able to satisfactorily prove, “by preponderance of evidence, his entitlement for damages.”
In its statement, Katribu welcomed the decision of the court. “This ruling is a significant victory not only for Bolinget and the Cordillera peoples’ movement, but for all Indigenous Peoples, activists, human rights defenders, and government critics who have long been subjected to vilification, harassment, and threats through red-tagging,” the group said in a statement.
They added that the court’s decision also adds to the growing recognition that red-tagging is a dangerous and harmful practice.
The group cited the 2025 National Inquiry on Red-Tagging by the Commission on Human Rights. The found that the practice of red-tagging “exposes individuals to threats, harassment, violence, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, and even extrajudicial killings, while undermining fundamental rights and democratic participation.”
In the landmark ruling of the Supreme Court on the petition filed by former Bayan Muna representative Siegfred D. Deduro, the high court declared that red-tagging, labeling, and guilt by association threaten a person’s right to life, liberty or security.
Read: Progressive groups welcome SC’s ruling on red-tagging
“We hope this ruling serves as a clear warning to state forces, their agents, and their online minions who continue to weaponize red-tagging to silence dissent, discredit legitimate advocacy, and justify attacks against activists and critics. Those who engage in red-tagging must be held accountable for the harm they inflict,” Katribu said in a statement.
The group reiterated their call to end red-tagging and hold perpetrators into account.
“The struggle for justice demands not only recognition of the dangers of red-tagging, but concrete measures to stop it once and for all,” the group said. (RVO)
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